FORT MYERS, Fla. _ Take strike one. Foul off strike two. Chase a pitch off the plate for strike three and walk back to the dugout.
Royce Lewis was in one of those ruts during the 2019 season, one that slowed his ascent through the Twins farm system. For the first overall pick in the 2017 draft, it was his first real bout with adversity.
The first time experiencing how the mind can make a slump worse.
The first time dealing with advice coming from every direction _ and discovering the dangers of listening to everyone.
"I literally didn't think I was going to make it for a while there," said the 20-year-old shortstop.
Once he erased those doubts, Lewis got over the hump at Class A Fort Myers and was promoted to Class AA Pensacola in July. And he finished 2019 with a flourish, batting .353 in the Arizona Fall League and being named its Most Valuable Player.
Now in major league camp for the second consecutive spring, Lewis likely will begin the season in Pensacola with a better understanding of how slumps mess with a player's mind. He batted a combined .236 at Fort Myers and Pensacola with only 38 walks and 123 strikeouts in 127 games. His mechanics at the plate _ he has a high leg kick that concerns some analysts _ have been a talking point for scouts. But he remains one of the better prospects in baseball, ranked ninth overall by mlb.com and 26th by Baseball America.
He could use a big year to remind observers of the athleticism, skills and potential that made him a top pick. Fortunately for him, the Twins can wait, as All-Star shortstop Jorge Polanco is under contract through 2023 with options for 2024 and 2025.
But the Twins are eager to see how Lewis responds in 2020 after learning, for one of the first times in his life, what's it's like to not be a very good baseball player.
"I genuinely believe that the best thing for our players in this room is to go through some struggle at the minor league level before they get to the big league level," said Derek Falvey, the Twins' president of baseball operations. "I don't want to go as far as to say fail at the minor level, but fail some to learn what it's like to be not as successful as you want to be on a daily basis. And then find a way back out of it."
